LGBTQ books under fire at Orange City Library

Orange City residents are petitioning the public library to separate LGBTQ themed books from the rest.

The petition calls for segregating LGBTQ books to a different area of the library. This would also force the library to ‘rate’ the books in a similar fashion to how movies are rated, and it would halt the purchasing of any new LGBTQ books.

The petition is causing a rift between residents in Orange City.

“To see yourself reflected in books and literature is really powerful. To know you are normal, things are okay,” said Mike Goll, a concerned citizen.

Jacob Hall a Sioux County Conservatives communications volunteer replied with, “The concerns that we have with these books being on the shelves would be the same concerns that we would have if they had books about eating Tide Pods on the shelves, aimed at teenagers.”

The petition received 340 signatures so far, and of the thousands of books at the Orange City Library, 168 of them fall under this petition.

The board is planning on hearing concerns from both sides over the next few weeks and they expect to make a decision on the matter soon.

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